Vacuum fuel-feed device for internal-combustion engines



. UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES S. BURTON, 0F OAK IARK, ILLINOIS.

Application aiea Jane is,

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, CHARLES S. BURTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oak Park, in the county of Cook and the State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vacuum Fuel- Feed Devices for Internal-Combustion Engines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanyin` drawings, forming a part thereof.

he purpose of this invention is to provide an improved means for supplying fuel to the carbureter of an internal combustion engine, by means of a supply tank located at a lower level than the carbureter. It consists in the elements and features of construction shown and described, as indicated in the claims.

In the drawinA s:-

Fi ure 1 is a iagrammatic view showing certain parts in the organization of an internal combustion engine, and in fuel supplymeans on a motor vehicle, said fuel supply means comprising this invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical axial'section of a float chamber and connections therefrom embodying the main elements of this invention.

Fi re 3 is a partly sectional View of the cham er shoun in Figure 2, a portion of tlie chamber being broken away and a section being made at the line,3-3, on Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a view similar to the upper` art of Figure 2, showing the movable parts in a different position from Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a sectional View similar to Fi ure 2, showing a modified construction. he drawings show in a conventional way in Figure 1 the carbureter of an internal combustion engine, of which the oat chambei' is seen at 1, a main fuel supply tank at a low level shown at 2; a conduit from the tank, 2, to the carbureter comprising pipe members, 3, 3. a T-tting connectin them shown at 4, which contains check va ves as further hereinafter described opening for flow from the tank toward the carburetei; a fioat chamber, 6, having the distinguishirig elements of this invention connected by a pipe member, 5, with` the stem of the T fitting, 3*. The pulsator, 9, consists of a cylinder and a piston, 9, therein, operated by any suitable means for reciprocating the piston, as an eccentric 10, on any rotating shaft of or driven by the engine, indicated by 11.

Specification of Letters Patent.

point.

Patented Mar. 7, 1922.

i920. serial No. 389.284.

A pipe, 12, connecting the piilsator with the float chamber, 6.

Before proceeding with detail description of the parts directly concerned in the invention, its general principle and mode of operation may be set forth. The pulsator produces alternate compression and suction which is communicated to the chamber, 6, the suction stroke tending to produce a partial vacuum in that chamber and thereby operating suctionwise to draw the liquid from the low tank, :2, through the pipe, 3, and past a check valve, 8, shown in the lefthand member of the T-fitting, 3, and up through the stem pipe, 5, into the chamber, 6. The compression impulse of the pulsator pro.- ducing pressure upon the top of the liquid lifted into the chamber, 6, tends to force it out through the pipe member, 5, and past the check valve, 7, and on through the pipe member, 3, to the carbureter. Thus the dev ice operates as a pump for pumping the liquid from the tank to the carbureter. In the absence of any means to modify the action, this pumping would proceed indefinitely as long as the engine is in operation for operating the pulsator; and thereby the carbui'ctcr is liable to be ovei'supplied. and the pumping still continuingr the liquid would eventually be drawn up through the pipe, 12, and the chamber of the pulsator would become filled with liquid, and thereupon thereafter, there being no relief or cushion for the pressure stroke, the connections would be overstrained and` eventually ruptured. In order to render the device practically operative, therefore, means must be provided for limiting the pumping action before the oversuppl exceeds the capacity of the chamber, 6. I427 or this purpose provision is made for defeating the pumping action of the puisator so far as lifting the liquid from the low tank, 2, is concerned, by providing an atmosphere vent to satisfy the suction impulse of the ulsator, said vent being normally closed, but opening when the chamber, 6, is filled to a predetermined This vent device is shown in two forms. In the form shown in Figure Q, the cap plate, 13, of the chamber, 6, has formed upon, its upper side a, diametrically extending boss, 1, which is bored at 4 from one end and tapped at that end, to receive the pipe, l2, communicating through a port, 13, in

the cap with the cavity of the chamber, 6. From the other end of the boss, 4, it is bored at 4, to all'ord air entrance through the open end, of the bore which stops short of meeting the bore, 4, so as to leave standin the partition wall or diaphragm, 4", throu which there is made a central 'aperturez t e opposite ends of which, 4 and 4f, constitute two ports through both of which the air must pass for entrance to and einer ence from the bore, 4, and the cavity o the chamber, 6, which are practically functionally one chamber. These two ports, 4 and 4', are controlled b disk or wafer valves 14 and 15, which stan on edge and are substantially vertical in their seated position, and inclined slightly awa from the seats at their open position, the va ve, 14, being checked at Said inclined open position by check pins 16, of which there are shown three driven in through the wall of the boss, 4, a short distance from the partition or diaphragm, 4, to limit the movement of the valve, 14, away from its seat. The valve, 15, is similarly stopped within a short distance of its seat b the inner end of a strainer device, 16, which is entered through the open end of the bore, 4, and centered by a collar, A42. In the chamber, 6, there is provided a loat, 17, having a stem, 17, extending down through the ipe member, 5, and obtaining guidance for itself and the float in a spider, 18, mounted in the discharge opening from the chamber, 6, to which the pipe member, 5, is connected and by a pin, 19, inserted transversel .through the lower end of the stem of sucllylength as to substantially span the pipe, 5, interiorly. Pivoted upon a downwardly-exten ing lu 13", of the cap plate, 13, there a bell crank' lever, 20, having an lip-standing arm, 20, extending up through the slot, 13, in `the cap plate, 13, `and terminating in position for swi Xing toward and from the disk valve, 14. his valve, 14, has a slender stem, 14",

ro'ecting through the ports, 4 and 4f, and) ci such length as to reach the valve, 15, when the valve,14, is tilted toward its seat and before it reaches its seat, so that at the position at which the stem, 14, reaches said valve, 15, both valves are oiftheir seats. The valve, 15, being already leaned slightly away from its seat, tends to fall 'farther away therefrom to the wide-open position .shown in Figure 2, at which it leans and is stopped against the strainer. The float, 17, has on its upper side an upwardly-projecting stud, 17which encounters the heel of the bell crank lever, 20, when the loat rises to a certain height, and in the further rise for a short distance rocks the lever over its fulcrum to swing its u per end inward for encounter With the va ve, y14, to tilt it toward its upright position so far that the pin, 14, projects through the ports such distance as prevent the valve, 15, from being seated by the suction. A check pin, 23, is provided in the chamber, 6, to limit the rise of the oat beyond a proper point as indicated, so that it shall not by such further riserock the valve, 20, so far as to force the valve, 14, to and hold it upon its seat.

Upon considering this structure it will be seen that when by the action of the pulsator the liquid has been pumped in until the chamber, 6, is filled so far as to lift the float to the point at which it operates the valves as described by means of the lever, 20, the valve, 15, will be held away from its seat so as not to be seated by the suction; and thereupon free atmospheric access being afforded upon the suction stroke, no vacuum will be produced in the chamber, 6, and no further lifting of the liquid from the tank, 2, will be caused. Nevertheless, upon the pressure stroke, the valve, 14, will be seated as before, and will not leave its seat to admit air until upon a suction stroke the absolute pressure in the cavity, 4*, is less than atmospheric, and the pressure stroke will therefore o rate to force the liquid out from the cham r, 6, and on into the carbureter, until the resultant lowering of the level of the li uid in the chamber, 6, causes the float to wit draw the lever, 20, from the valve, 14, and the in, 14, of said lever from the valve, 15, so at the latter valve may be closed upon the suction stroke of the pulsator, and the lifting of liquid from the tank to resume. Y

In the form shown in Figure 5 instead of a single diaphragm with a single aperture forming two seats at its opposite ends, re-

quiring two valves to control it, there is provided a valve chamber having a single valve in it adapted to oscillate it between two ports in the opposite walls of said valve chamber so that one valve controlling two a ertures is substituted for two valves control ing one aperture, as in Figure 2. The mode of operation is obviously the same. In each case there are two ports the valve means for controlling these ports respectively, by the opposite impulses of the pulsator. A convenient means of forming this valve chamber shown in Figure 5, consists in borin the boss, 4, clear through from end to en and counterboring it at opposite ends to form shoulders, 4, spaced apart a short distance, and forcing in from the opposite ends the two port members, 4' and 4, whose ends facing toward each other are set obli uely to their axis to form a V-shaped valve c amber when they meet at the lower edge, in which valve chamber there is lodged a single valve, 14x, which is tilted one way or the other from its vertical position for seating upon the pressure stroke or upon the suction stroke of the pulsator. In this form the lever, 20", corresponding to the lever, 20, of the other form, Las a slender pin terminal, 20', which projects through the port in the right hand member of the valve chamber for checking the valve against seating by the suction.

I claim z- 1. In a structure for the purpose indicated, a pulsator, a chamber connected for experiencing suction and pressure from the respectively opposite impulses of the pulsator, aconduit adapted for connection on one hand with a low level. supply tank and on the other hand with a nirbureter, and comprisin said chamber, check valves in said conduita antecedent and subsequent respectively to said chamber, both opening for llow toward the carbureter, an atmosphere vent means for the chamber located beyond the communication of the pulsator with said chamber, said means comprising two ports in the path of air entrance to and emergence from the chamber, through both of which successively the air passes in such entrance and emergence, and valve means for closing said ports adapted to be seated for closing them by movement in the direction of suction and pressure respectively, a float in the chamber, and connections therefrom for stoppin the suction-caused movement of said va ve means at a predetermined high position of the float.

2. In a construction defined in claim 1 foregoing, means for arresting the rise of the float in the chamber at said predetermined position.

,3. In the construction defined in claim 1, foregoing, the valve-controlled means comprislng a valve chamber having the two ports mentioned in opposite walls, a single valve in said chamber adapted to seat at either port, the float-operated means for stopping said valve being arranged for reaching it through the port at which the valve is suction-seated.

In testimon whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at hicago, Illinois, this 7th day of` June, 1920.

. CHARLES S. BURTON. 

